Rep. Judy Chu (Photo – Judy Chu office)
On Friday, May 28, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27) reintroduced the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act, which would curb mental health stigma in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
By News Desk
This bill instructs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to provide outreach and education strategies for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community by partnering with local advocacy and behavioral health organizations that have an established record of serving AAPIs and ensures these strategies reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance abuse.
According to data collected by SAMHSA, AAPIs have the lowest help-seeking rate of any racial/ethnic group, with only 23.3% of AAPI adults with a mental illness receiving treatment in 2019. In 2020, an estimated 2.3 million AAPIs who meet criteria for a mental health problem did not receive necessary treatment. And, even though suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, it is the leading cause of death for Asian or Pacific Islander youth ages 15-24.
Rep. Chu is joined by Representative Grace F. Napolitano (CA-332) in introducing this bill. Organizational Endorsements include National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA), Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA), Change Matrix, Rise Now, ACE NextGen, and Bazelon Center for Mental Health.
—Rep. Chu Reintroduces Bill to End Mental Health Stigma in AAPI Community
I would have preferred she had offered some adivce on how to interdict teaching it.